Motor



March a, 1949. H. w. PRICE 2,463,806

Original Filed Nov. 13, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 nvvmvron HAPoLo W. Pe/cE March 8, 1949, H. w. PRICE MOTOR Original Filed Nov. 15. 1940 2 Shets-Sheet 2 v w g I 2 20 206 II. a s z2| i I :1 205 22/ 9 lg? I 2 ,nwgm'on BY HAROLD W. PRICE- I in Patented Mar. 8, 1949 MOTOR Harold W. Price, Bradenton, Fla aasignor to Bendix Aviation Corporation, South Bend, 1nd,, a corporation of Delaware Original application November 13, 1940, Serial No. 365,413, now Patent No. 2,440,558, dated April 27, 1948. Divided and this application March 24, 1945, Serial No. 584,646

2 Claims. (Cl. 121-40) This invention relates to motors and more particularly to the spring and pressure diflerential operated motor unit of the kickdown transmission mechanism which constitutes a part of the power plant of certain 1941' model cars. This transmission mechanism, which is similar in general to that disclosed in the U. S. patent to Matulaitis No. 2,296,646, dated September 22, 1942, includes a transmission operating crank which is moved to its upshift position by the vacuum operation of the spring and pressure differential operated motor of said mechanism and to its kickdown position by the operation of the spring of said motor. As disclosed in the aforementioned patent the motor of the kickdown mechanism is controlled by a solenoid and spring operated three-way valve and the power element of said motor-is held in its upshift position of the combined effect by a differential of gaseous pressures and a latch mechanism.

Now, the kickdown motor constituting my invention is disclosed in my Patent No. 2,440,558 granted on application Serial No. 365,413, filed November 13, 1940, the instant application being a division thereof, and said motor constitutes an improvement over the above described type of motor by virtue of its simplicity; for in the motor of my invention there is no latch mechanism and the armature mechanism of an electromagnet serves both to hold the power element of the motor in its upshift position and to operate the control valve of the motor.

It is, accordingly, an object of my invention to provide a simple, compact and effective spring and pressure differential operated motor unit for use in the kickdown transmission mechanism of the day. said motor unit including electromagnetic means for (1) operating the control valve constituting a part of the motor unit, and (2) serving as a means for holding the power element of said unit in its upshift position.

Yet another object of my invention is to provide a motor unit of a kickdown transmission mechanism, said unit including control means which is connected to an operating means by force transmitting means including two springs, one of which is stronger than the other, whereby when the operating means performs its function the operation of the control means is delayed until the weaker of the two springs is compressed solid or substantially solid.

Other objects of the invention and desirable details of construction and combinations of parts will become apparent from the following description of a certain embodiment, which description is taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view disclosing a transmission operating kickdown mechanism, said mechanism including the motor unit constituting my invention; and

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the transmission operating and ignition controlling motor unit constituting my invention.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawing diagrammatically disclosing a transmission operating kickdown mechanism including the motor unit constituting my invention, the reference numeral It indicates a power operated two-speeds forward selective gear transmission mechanism which may be placed ahead of or to the rear of a manually operated selective gear or so-called step type of transmission in the power transmission mechanism of an automotive vehicle; or this power operated transmission may be combined with the manually operated transmission as a single transmission unit. The manually operated step transmission may be omitted and the transmission l0, modified to include a manually operated reverse gear, may be combined with the rear axle mechanism of the vehicle to provide what is known in the art as a two-speed rear axle. If a manually operated step transmission is incorporated in the transmission system, then a manually or power operated friction clutch may be included in said system.

The transmission It includes a drive shaft and a drivenshaft, not shown, and should said transmission be placed ahead of a manually operated transmission, not shown, then the drive shaft is connected to a clutch, not shown, and the driven shaft is connected to the drive shaft of the manually operated transmission. Should the transmission Ill be placed to the rear of a manually operated transmission, then the drive shaft of the transmission In is connected to the driven shaft of the latter transmission and the driven shaft of the transmission I0 is connected to the propeller shaft of the vehicle.

The so-called transmission operating kickdown mechanism of Figure 1 is controlled either by the throttle controlling means of the vehicle or by a vehicle speed-responsive governor or both, depending upon the particular operation desired, said power means serving to operate any type of transmission that will alternately eflect an increase and a decrease of the speed ratio between the engine and the driving ground wheels of the vehicle. The kickdown mechanism of Figure 1 also serves to, in part, control the operation of the engine controlling ignition system to facilitate the operation of the change-speed transmission by said power means. It follows, therefore, that it is within the purview of my invention to employ a two-speeds forward planetary transmission. However, I prefer to employ a selective gear type of two-speeds forward transmission cooperating with a manually operated selective gear transmission, a fluid clutch and a friction clutch, the two clutches and manually operated transmission being interposed between the engine and the first mentioned transmission in the power transmitting mechanism of the vehicle.

It is particularly desirable that the transmission operating and ignition controlling power means of Figure 1 be incorporated in an automotive vehicle equipped with a fluid coupling type of clutch for transmitting the drive from the internal-combustion engine of the vehicle to the change-speed transmission mechanism. Such a clutch, which is well known to those skilled in the art, constitutesa yieldable connection be- I tween the engine and the drive shaft of the change-speed transmission and at all times during the operation of the engine serves as aforcetransmitting medium. Inasmuch as the clutch, that is, coupling will slip until the speed ratio of the rotor and stator elements of the clutch is 1 to 1 and inasmuch as with such a clutch there is no clutch disengaging operation to be effected. it follows that the fluid clutch will facilitate an operation of the selective change-speed transmission mechanism to the rear of the clutch and it also follows that such a mechanism may be simplified by reducing the number of driving ratio settings thereof. Accordingly, the changespeed transmission of the vehicle may be limited to the simple two-speed selective gear transmission I disclosed in Figure 1. However, to facilitate a starting of the vehicle when the same is, say, mired in soft ground or when, for any other reason, the load to be driven is relatively heavy, the transmission I0 may, as heretofore mentioned, be supplemented by a friction clutch and the aforementioned selective gear transmission mechanism, the latter being manually operated to select a relatively low speed ratio between the engine and the vehicle driving wheels or propeller shaft. Such a manually operated supplemental selective transmission may, after the friction clutch is disengaged, be operated to place the transmission in neutral, that is,- disconnect the engine or other prime mover from the driving ground wheels. Such a neutral setting, in a vehicle provided with a fluid clutch, will obviate an undesired creeping of the vehicle after it has been brought to a, stop and will also obviate a poss'ible stallingof the engine should the viscosity of the oil or other power-transmission medium of the clutch be unduly increased by cold weather.

Describing now the transmission operating and ignition controlling power means disclosed in Figure 1, said means includes my invention, that is a spring and pressure differential operated motor and valve unit I2; and said unit is controlled by a vehicle speed-responsive governor I0 and by the accelerator I0 of the vehicle. As will be described hereinafter, a motor operated socalled ignition interrupter switch l0, a two-part governor operated switch mechanism 20, an accelerator operated two-part switch mechanism 22, and wiring interconnecting said switch mechanisms, with the primary winding 20 of an ignition coil 20 and with an ignition switch 20, constitute electrical means operative to succes- I sively cut out and cut in a distributor 00 as a so-called kickdown or step-down operation of the transmission is being effected. The ignition coil and distributor constitute two of the principal parts of the engine controlling ignition system, which is of conventional design.

The accelerator I0 oi. the vehicle is operabiy connected to the throttle or so-called butterfly 00 of the carburetor by force transmitting means including links 02 and 00 and a crank 90. One end of the link 02 is slidably mounted within the end of a lever 00 fulcrumed at I00 and biased to the left, Figure 1, by a relatively heavy spring I02. A lever I00 which is wired to ground is biased to the right, Figure 1, by a relatively light spring I00 which is weaker'than the spring I02. Con- \tacts I00 and III are secured respectively to the levers I00 and 00 and together constitute one of the switches of the accelerator operated switch mechanism 22. This switch, which is grounded. is indicated by the reference numeral II2. The spring I02, being stronger than the spring I 00 maintains the contacts I00 and H0 in abutment to close the switch II2 when, as disclosed in Figure 1, the accelerator is returned to its throttle closed position by a spring I II. A contact I I0, secured to a support IIO of insulating material, together with a, contact H0 secured to one end of .the lever I00, constitutes the other of the two switches operated by the accelerator and this latter switch is, as disclosed in Figure 1, open when the accelerator is released. This switch is indicated by the reference numeral I20.

The switch operating flyball governor I0 disclosed in Figure 1 is of a standard design, accordingly, said governor is not shown in detail. Sumce it to say that upon rotation of a pin I20 centrifugal weights I02 and I00 are subjected to a force eflfecting an angular movement of said weights thereby forcing a movable contact member I00 upwardly to first open a lower switch I06 with the governor operated switch I00, the here-' inafter described valve operating electromagnet I00, Figure 2, and the ignition switch 20 of the vehicle, the latter being wired to a grounded battery I00.

Describing now the aforementioned ignition controlling electrical means, the interrupter switch I0 is wired in series with primary winding 20 of the ignition coil 20 and with the switch I20 of the grounded accelerator operated switch mechanism. The distributor 00 of the ignition system includes,- of course, a grounded condenser I02, a breaker switch I00 and a rotor I01 wired to the several grounded spark plugs, only one of which is disclosed. As disclosed in Figure 1, the interrupter switch I0 is also wired in series with the switch I00 of the governor operated switch mechanism 20. Completing the description of the conventional ignition system disclosed in Figure 1, the primary winding 20 of the ignition coil 20 is wired in series with the ignition switch 20 and the breaker switch I00 of the distributor;

cases and a secondary winding I of the ignition coil is wired in series with the rotor I61 and said Ignition switch.

Referring now to Figure 2 disclosing a preferred embodiment of the transmission operating and ignition controlling motor unit constituting my invention, this unit, indicated in general by the reference numeral I2, includes casing members I", III, I22 and I and a diaphragm type of power element I". The casing members Ill and I82 are recessed to provide compartments"! and I" through which the air passes as it flows into or from a compartment I82 of the motor. This motor, which is indicated in general by the reference numeral I, includes the casing member I'll, a portion of the casing member I", the diaphragm I and a relatively heavy spring I92, the operation of which is described hereinafter.

Within the casing member I III there is housed the aforementioned ignition controlling breaker or so-called interrupter switch II and within the casing member Ill there is housed the aforementioned valve operating and diaphragm holding electromagnet in including an armature 200 and a winding 202 housed within a tubular casing member 204. This electromagnet also includes an armature plate 205.

The operation of the motor I94 is controlled by a valve 206 to which is secured a pin 208 extending from one end of the casing member 204, The end of the pin 208 extends within an opening III! in the armature plate 205. Stops 2M.

and 2|. are secured to the pin 208 and a relatively heavy spring 2I8 is sleeved oversaid pin between the plate 205 and the stop 2 II. A spring 222, lighter than the spring 2III, is sleeved over the pin 208 between the stop 2I6 and a flange 20a.

Briefly describing the operation of the power unit disclosed in Figure 2, when the accelerator is released and the vehicle is travelling above a predetermined speed, say five miles per hour, the electromagnet I59 is energized resulting in the armature plate 205 being drawn to the right to the position disclosed in full lines in said figure. The pin 202 is thus moved to the right to compress the spring 220 and move the valve 206 to its open position, that is, the position disclosed in full lines in Figure 2. The compartment I92 of the motor I94 is then partially evacuated by virtue of the passage of air from said compartment via compartments I90 and I88 and duct V leading to the intake manifold of the engine or to any other source of vacuum. In this operation the spring 220, which as described above is lighter than spring H8, is compressed before the spring 2 II is compressed. Accordingly, it follows therefore that when the electromagnet I59 is deenergized the spring 2 It will expand before the spring 222 expands. These springs may be said to be in series in the force transmitting means interconnecting the valve 206 and the armature plate 2".

The partial evacuation of the compartment I92 results in the movement of the diaphragm I86 to the left to the position disclosed in full lines in Figure 2, for a compartment 222 of the pressure mission II in low gear the accelerator is fully depressed to thereby open the switch I I2 and eifect a closing of the switch I; and this results in a deenergization oi the electromagnet I". The springs 2" and 220 then successively expand re- \sulting in the movement'of both the valve 222 and diflerential and spring operated motor I is at the armature plate 2" to the positions disclosed in Figure 2, in shaded lines. The compartment I 22 of the motor I" is then-vented to the atmosphere via a duct A and compartments Ill and Ill; and the spring I" then functions to move the diaphragm I to the position disclosed in 'virtue of the successive operations of the springs 2|! and 220, there is a slight delay in closing the valve 206, that is, moving said valve to vent the compartment M2 to atmosphere. This delay, however, does not unduly delay the operation of the motor I to eifectthe low gear or so-called kickdown operation of the transmission; for when the driver, to effect this operation of the motor I, depresses the accelerator beyond its throttle wide open position,- the gaseous pressure in the intake manifold is increased, that-is, the degree of vacuum is lowered thereby increasing the gaseous pressure in the motor compartment I22 and initiating the aforementioned kickdgzvn operation by an expansion of the spring I I" may be deenergized, to effect the kickdown operation of the-unit III, by slowing the car down sufficiently to effect an operation of the governor It to close the switch I46.

There is thus provided a simple and compact spring and pressure differential operated motor unit constituting a part of the accelerator and governor controlled transmission operating kickdown mechanism of the day. The electromagnet I59 of the motor unit I2 is controlled by an operation of the governor operated switch mechanism and by the accelerator operated switch mechanism 22; and said electromagnet serves both to operate the control valve of the unit and to hold the power element of said unit in its upshift position.

Although this invention has been described in connection with a certain specific embodiment, the principles involved are susceptible of numerous other applications that will readily occur to persons skilled in the art. My invention is, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A spring and pressure differential operated motor unit including a multi-sectioned casing,

It is also to be noted that the electromagnet' a power element housed within said casing, valve means for controlling the operation oi said unit, electromagnetic means, including armature means, for operating the valve means and for holding the power element in one of its operative positions and means, operably connected to the armature, tor actuating the valve means said valve actuating means including two springs one of which is weaker than the other, the parts of the valve actuating means being so constructed and arranged and so operative that when the electromagnetic means is de-energized the operation of the valve means is delayed by virtue of the collapsing oi the weaker spring.

2. A spring and pressure differential operated 1 motor unit including a power element and a control member, electromagnetic means, including armature means, for operating said control mem- 8' her and for holding said power element in one of its operative positions and armature actuated means, including two separate springs of dlflerent REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flie of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Number Matulaitis Sept. 22, 1942 

